


unapologetic

by CapriciousCrab



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Ares is very confused by the whole situation, Dreams, Dreamsharing, Hypnos visits Ares in his dream to apologize, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:42:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29406426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CapriciousCrab/pseuds/CapriciousCrab
Summary: "Lord Ares! Such a pleasure to see you again. I-I hope you don't mind," Hypnos began, fingers twisting nervously in the pleats of material at his waist. "Thanatos said I should apologize. You know, for casting sleep on you before. And I thought, you know, that's a really good idea!"Ares started to nod in agreement but Hypnos kept talking.
Relationships: Ares & Hypnos (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 82





	unapologetic

**Author's Note:**

> This little bit of nonsense was inspired by a scene from a fic I wrote where Hypnos overreacted and knocked Ares out with his god powers. It's not necessary to read it before this fic.

Ares stood atop a gentle hill and gazed upon the fields before him. Trampled flat by giant war horses ridden by warriors driven by bloodlust, the muddy ground was littered with the bent and shattered bodies of the dead, the air filled with the gasping breaths and wheezing moans of the damned, the broken cries of the dying.

It was the music of war and Ares, the conductor.

His own internal symphony raged, and Ares tipped his face to the heavens and found that even the skies above held hints of violence, the clouds tinged the ominous greenish-purple of a half-healed bruise. The winds whipped through his hair, sharp and cold enough to bring a ripple of gooseflesh to his skin and he shivered at the unexpected sensation. He frowned and turned back to the carnage below.

A lone soldier waited amid the battleground, his armor as pristine as the day it was forged. He held a mace awkwardly in his hand, twirling it with little skill as he beckoned toward Ares. Taunting. Encouraging the God of War to come fight if he dared. Ares threw back his head and laughed as he leapt forward to meet his challenger.

The blood quickened in his veins as he summoned his weapons. He dodged a clumsy strike by his opponent and spun to bash his shield against the little wisp of a warrior trying to dance away from his blow.

"Oh, oh wow! This is a lot heavier than it looked!"

The words were incongruous with battle, lightly amused and slightly bewildered as if wondering why anyone would choose to take up sword and shield, but the voice was strangely familiar.

Ares lowered his weapon and yanked off his helmet, taking a step back, then another; pausing as the grass sprang up tall and sweet around him. The bitter wind that had previously slashed at his skin gentled, teasing now at the locks of hair that tumbled over his brow. The clouds had swept away as if they had simply never been and Ares squinted at the sudden appearance of the sun, bringing his hand up to shade his eyes as he looked around. The battlefield behind him had disappeared, leaving nothing but sweet meadow grass to be seen for miles.

Naught but a dream, he realized and sighed as the last of his battle rage dissipated as he watched the fumbling warrior struggle to remove his helm. He had known before the face was revealed who he would find beneath the armor, that lilting voice one he remembered from their brief time spent together.

"Hello, Hypnos."

Hypnos froze, then waved his hand impatiently. The outer trappings of the warrior fell away, leaving him dressed once more in his familiar red chiton and golden jewelry, bare feet barely brushing the ground. He smiled at Ares, all sleepy charm and hopeful eyes as he edged a bit closer to where Ares watched in silence.

"Lord Ares! Such a pleasure to see you again. I-I hope you don't mind," Hypnos began, fingers twisting nervously in the pleats of material at his waist. "Thanatos said I should apologize. You know, for casting sleep on you before. And I thought, you know, that's a really good idea!"

Ares started to nod in agreement but Hypnos kept talking.

"But then I realized that I wasn't really sorry because hey, you're a lot bigger than me! I didn't know if you were going to leap across the table… and Charon always said it was wiser to act first and make amends later if necessary," Hypnos said. He drifted as he talked, his hands sweeping the air as if to emphasize his words and Ares soon grew dizzy trying to follow along.

“I am not some mindless beast, Hypnos,” Ares said flatly, the burning twist in his gut serving to remind him that most people thought him incapable of anything but savagery. Even when away from the battlefield.

Hypnos’ face fell. “Oh, hey. No. No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just that I know that I can be, well… me. And Thanatos is always reminding me that I can be annoying, which I disagree with him there because well, look. You’ve met me. I'm a lot, right? But I think annoying is a _little_ harsh-”

Ares pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn’t think it was possible for gods to get headaches and yet there seemed to be some kind of ache brewing just behind his eyes. He held up his hand, stopping the flow of chatter from Hypnos' mouth. "Just so that I am clear- you have invaded the sanctity of my dreams to apologize, which you have thus decided not to do because you may or may not be annoying and I may or may not have deserved it?" he asked.

Hypnos' face brightened and he reached over to pat Ares on the arm. "Yes! Yes, that's it exactly." He beamed proudly as if Ares was a prized pupil who had figured out a particularly tricky bit of sums and Ares couldn't help himself.

He laughed. He laughed long and hard, the absurdity of this entire farce of a dream tickling him down to his very toes. "Little dreammaker, you are an unexpected delight. Very well, let us forget about the whole affair, shall we then?"

"Oh no, I don't want to forget a _thing_ ," Hypnos said. His eyes were a brilliant gold, full of power and mischief both and Ares wondered what other mayhem this little god was capable of. But before he could think on it too long the edges of the world began to blur.

Hypnos looked over his shoulder at something only he could see. “I have to get back now. But this was fun. Wasn’t this fun?” Hypnos asked hopefully.

"I- it was certainly interesting, yes," Ares agreed, watching in fascination as things continued to fade away, color leaching from objects as if drained. "Thank you for coming to speak with me, Hypnos."

"Maybe, if you like, I could do it again?" Hypnos asked. His smile was eager and a little shy, and Ares wondered what Hypnos could possibly want with someone as rough and brutish as he. 

Perhaps it was that spark of mischief, so reminiscent of Hermes' particular brand of trickery that sometimes led to Ares joining him for some bit of troublemaking. Perhaps it was the pinch of loneliness he currently felt, with no wars to harvest or mate to attend to. Whatever the reason, Ares didn't wish to examine it too closely as he nodded briefly and agreed. After all, there weren’t many who were willing to spend time with the God of War.

"I would be honored, little dreammaker.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it :)


End file.
